Gears of War 4 Dev Scrapped New IP

By Boston Blake 16 July 2015

Back in 2013, developer Black Tusk was excited to show off a teaser for their latest IP in development. The game was so promising that even Microsoft called it the next Halo. However, despite the game’s potential, it was shelved once Microsoft purchased Gears of War from developer Epic Games and handed over development of Gears of War 4 to Black Tusk.

In an interview with Polygon, Studio Manager Mike Crump shared some details about the transition. During the interview, Crump revealed that Microsoft gave the team at Black Tusk – since renamed The Coalition – a choice between continuing their new shooter IP, or taking over Gears of War4.

While that choice may seem like an easy decision for some, given Gears of War’s popularity and impact among gamers, it was very difficult for the team at The Coalition. According to Crump:

“We were hugely invested in what we were working on. You don’t spend a year and a half working on a game without getting attached to it. There was a lot of discussion.”

With such a huge change in direction, there were some members of the team at The Coalition who were disappointed. These developers had a sizeable investment in the new IP and were excited by the prospect of delivering something new.

“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t some people on the team who were disappointed when they found out the thing they’d been working on for so long was going to be shelved. If you’ve been in the game industry long enough, you’re going to go through project cancellations. People go through this period of mourning a bit. You have to give them that space and time to go through that, the sense of loss that people have around something they’re invested in.”

However, in the end, the team made a group decision to move forward with Gears of War, and that decision may turn out best for the developer, especially as it’s starting a new life as The Coalition. In addition to Gears of War 4, the team is also in charge of the Gears of War remaster, dubbed Gears of War Ultimate Edition.

While the shelved IP may be cancelled for now, it’s possible The Coalition will return to the game once Gears of War Ultimate Edition and Gears of War 4 have run their course.

What do you think about The Coalition’s decision to focus on Gears of War instead of their new IP? Let us know you thoughts in the comments.